British Gangs: Josephine O'Dare

Another story from 1920s underworld Britain

I came across the brilliant character of Josephine O'Dare while researching a cheque fraud case. She had a similar background to Kate Meyrick, who we met in my previous article. Both came from Ireland to London in search of their fortune. Whereas Kate ended up running nightclubs, Josephine became a con artist and recruited a group of talented forgers. Both women found themselves in Holloway Prison at the same time in the late 1920s.

Josephine O’Dare found herself in Holloway after forging the will of a friend of hers, a solicitor called Edwin Docker. She claims that Docker had promised her a gift of £20,000 to offset crippling debts and set her back on her feet, but he died before he could transfer the money. Believing this to be her last chance to avoid bankruptcy, she used her gang of forgers to fake Docker’s will. Her version of the will made her a gift of £15,000. This was possible as she was already running a gang that successfully forged cheques. Mixing in high society, Josephine O’Dare counted among her friends the businessman behind Listerine mouthwash.

From an article by Josephine O'Dare "Happiness Always Eluded Me," The People, 24 August 1930. Courtesy British Library Board.

It is unfortunate that Josephine O’Dare felt she had to turn to crime to clear her business debts, because she was by all accounts a shrewd businesswoman in her own right. She worked successfully as an intermediary, understood business principles intuitively, and would often connect those who wanted to invest with others who had great ideas for new business ventures. She was rumoured to have raised tens of thousands of pounds for her own use at a time when such amounts represented a fortune before her luck ran dry. For example, according to officialdata.org, £10,000 in 1930 might be worth as much as £800,000 today.

You can read more about Josephine O’Dare in my book on British Gangs. It is available for pre-order from any of the main bookshops for delivery in October 2024, but I particularly like to use Blackwell’s as they offer totally free postage. You can find my book here.